This Triple Bock is dark brown with ruby highlights. It is extremely rich and complex, with flavors of raisin, plum. There is a slight heat from alcohol and has low carbonation. It is full bodied, malty and sweet– you big beer lovers should try this beer.

Reviews by Doppelbockulus:

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On tap at Kuhnhenn for Summer Solstice '13. Dark Heathen pours one of the deepest brown colors I've ever seen without being dark enough to be called "black" as light shimmers through as reveals plenty of dark-ruby highlights. The head is foamy and soapy, comprised of large bubbles and tinted in some weird shade of gray. No lacing left on the glass.

Thick, robust toffee and caramel candies are the first descriptors to come to mind after taking a great big whiff of this heavy brew. Sugary, sticky, and just plain "big" in terms of the aroma. Light black licorice, heavy clumps of toasted bread, and a fine outline of burnt brown sugar. Gloriously malty, delicately sweet, and eminently huge.

Warmth opens things up even more, introducing an array of your standard dark fruits; plums, raisins, and dates, coated with booze and dipped in brown sugar. The booze is evident on the nose, but not enough to burn your nostril hairs or clear your sinuses. I'm really liking the nose on this one so far.

Wow! I thought the nose was powerful, until I took my first sip of this thing. I expected a lot of flavor, considering it's a 12.5% ABV doppelbock, but it still shocked my palate out of the gate. Delicate booze laced between mountains of caramel and toffee. A deep nuttiness resides in the background, along with a plethora of sticky malts and brown sugar. Triple bock, no doubt.

The fruit character meshes extremely well with everything else; plums, juicy dates... Sweet, sweet, and sweet without reaching teeth-chattering levels. Really a perfect level of sweetness for this style of beer. The booze is well integrated and the flavors are accentuated incredibly. Lots of crisp, toasted bready, lager-yeast in the finish, along with faint brown sugar and a heavy nuttiness.

Dark Heathen hoists a big and boisterous body; sticky, thick, and almost creamy on the mouth feel with low-medium carbonation. I was really taken back by how easy this was to drink... It holds the power of a 20% ABV brew while drinking more like a 6-7%. I wish I could have grabbed a few bottles of this, as it turned out to be one of my favorites of the day.

Sampled on tap at the Hop Devil in NYC for their Kuhnhenn night. The beer poured a dense brown color with a slight tan head that provided a nice little ring around the edge of the glass. The beer had a sweet, malty aroma with a slight hint of the high abv to come. The body was a nice big punch of malty sweet, caramel, honey and the big big abv. Some of the other Kuhnhenn beers that night masked the abv well but this one put it right out in front and makes for a nice full body and tasting beer.

Floral aroma. Scotch colour dark brown and malty scotch aroma. Blind tasting of the baleywine say it was an old ale. Sweetish spice in middle. A real style bender. Full mouthfeel, a meal in itself. Bottles were available and I kick myself now. Alcohol not detectable.

Many thanks to the ever generous hoppymeal for the bottle. Hard to believe I'm getting to try this one.

Vintage 2006

Appearance: It pours a darker brown color. It's moderately hazy, but there's plenty of light getting through giving it a slight dark cherry tint. The head is tan in color and is roughly a finger and a half deep. Retention was impressive given the high abv. Light speckles of lace lined the glass.

Smell: There's obviously an abundance of malt in this one. It smells sweet and sugary. Loads of caramel and toffee aromas. Dark fruits and dates are very prevalent. Smells like a heavy mix of raisin, plum, and prune. Scents of tobacco and leather emerge. Alcohol is noted, but for the abv, it doesn't smell that strong. My bottle notes 12.5%. Pretty impressive all-around. It's a tad weak, but maybe it'll open up more as it warms.

Taste: At first, it's very, very sweet. There's quite a bit of caramel/toffee malt flavor. Brown sugar is pretty prevalent. Dark fruit flavors of raisin and plum are noted. To a lesser degree, there is some light prune. It is a little earthy and features a nice tobacco-like flavor. It's a great complement to the other flavors and works well. Alcohol is rather faint. I'm actually astonished at how well it's blended. If I didn't know the abv, there's no way I'd buy that it's as high as it is. Very, very impressive. It finishes sweet. There's a lot of depth and flavor here. Very well done.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: As far as body is concerned, it's lighter than I'd hoped. It could use a little more. Carbonation is light and it feels nice and smooth. I'd just like it a little thicker. Drinkability is above average, but limited due to its strength. It definitely packs a punch.

Dark Heathen's very impressive. I've got a couple of small qualms with the nose and the body, but they're far from substantial. I am curious as to where the damn soy flavor is in this one. As a Tripple Bock, I was expecting some soy. ;~) All kidding aside. This is a damn good beer. Much more impressive than the Sam Adams Triple Bock, if you care to compare the two. Definitely recommended if you can find one. Thanks a ton, Derek.

Pours a clear ruby brown color with little to no head that settles into nothingness, looks flat. Pretty color but lifeless.

The aroma is of rich caramel and toffee. Scorched brown sugar and honey. Raisins and prunes add a fruity note to the beer. A tad of earthiness to the aroma, perhaps a hint of chocolate, wet bark, or tobacco.

The taste is of a thick pumpernickle bready malt. This is sweetened by caramel and toffee. The dark fruits are actually kind of tame in this one. A bit of raisin/prune and boozy cherry fruit note. Slight earthiness in the end, again it seems to be wet bark or tobacco. Tasty but slightly one dimensional.

The feel is thick with soft carbonation. Sweet and smooth on the palate but actually finishes a tad dry which helps prevent a syrupy feel. Slightly sticky. ABV kept in check.

Nice strong lager, don't really get much "bock" flavor from it. Perhaps a touch of doughy sweetness from the munich malt. Over all a huge malty brew, flavorful.

Kuhnhenn's Dark Heathen Tripple Bock (2008) pours up a bit flat w/o much effervescence, but it manages to release enough carbonation to create a wafer thin beige head that rings the glass above a hazy, chestnut brown-burnt umber body. The complex, rich nose has a huge melanoidin maltiness complimented by a lovely toastiness that's reminiscent of freshly baked sourdough bread. There's a touch of pancake fruitiness with a warming alcohol presence, but a bit of tartness is starting to creep in. Very generous! The flavor is dominated by a rich, melanoidin maltiness that is marked by the faintest touch of spicy bitterness. The warm, full-bodied finish is a bit cloying with some uncharacteristic tartness. Dark Heathen is a love it or hate it kind of a beer. I'm not totally convinced this one cellar-aged so well, so if you've got any hiding in your cellar...it's time to partake as I don't see this one getting any better. Being a professed malt man, I'm just happy to have gotten to try this labor of love from Dragonmead & the Kuhnhenn Bros. Here's to the Dark Heathen in us all!